Cutting Ties
by Taliax
Summary: Katara helps cut Toph's hair. Some other connections aren't cut so easily. Set around "The Chase."


**A/N: Thanks to Kitty and Gaby on the Zutara discord for the inspiration behind this oneshot! The premise was too intriguing to pass up.**

**Set sometime during "The Chase," but with more spacing between when Azula and co. catch up to them. Partially so that there's time to fit in this fic, partially because I still feel that a flying bison would be able to outpace a train-thing over the kind of funky terrain they're travelling across.**

Toph let out a deep breath. The sharpened stone trembled in her hand before she steadied it by clenching her fist.

This wasn't a big deal. She'd already made her choice to leave. She wasn't the fragile little girl her parents thought she was. It only made sense that she shouldn't look the part anymore, either.

She wriggled off the headband keeping her bun in place. Silky hair spilled down her shoulders. Even after two days on the road, it still held hints of the jasmine soap Mom had lathered in it. She'd have to sit closer to the fire, marinate in the smoke and sweat, until the floral scent faded completely.

Though chopping off the long locks should do most of the job.

She gathered her hair back in one hand, brought the stone up behind her neck, and—

"What are you _doing?" _Katara's whisper hissed over the sound of the flowing stream.

Toph cursed and nearly dropped her rock. "What are _you _doing here?"

When she'd left, Katara had been lying in her tent. Toph should have been able to feel her approaching, but no matter how far she pushed her seismic sense, there was no trace of the bossy girl's heartbeat. She must be _in _the water.

"Full moon. Couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd go for a swim." Her voice was carefully guarded, but without her feet planted on solid ground, Toph couldn't confirm that she was lying. "Though I think I should be asking the same to you."

"It's none of your business," she shot back.

"You're a part of the team now, Toph. If you go running off in the middle of the night, it _is _my business."

Toph stepped closer to the stream, though she was careful not to get close enough to fall in. "Oh, but _you _can go swimming in the middle of the night without telling anyone?"

Katara spluttered for a moment before sighing. "Fine."

Toph felt her footsteps squelch into the mud, heard the splash of her bending the water from her clothes. Or just her body, Toph wasn't actually sure. Did people normally wear clothes when they went swimming?

"I was worried about you. I didn't know where you'd gone, and with that weird machine after us…"

"I don't need you to worry about me. I'm not stupid."

That's why she'd come by the stream in the first place. She could dispose of her hair remnants here, where no one could use it to track them. Not that it mattered that much compared to Appa shedding all over the place, but she would at least do her part.

"I didn't say you were stupid," Katara asserted. "I just think it would be best if we stick together right now."

"I don't need you to babysit me. I can take care of myself." Toph's grip on the sharp rock tightened, and hairline cracks sprouted through it. "I'll come back when I want to."

Katara was quiet for a long moment. Even Toph's seismic sense couldn't tell her what the girl was thinking. Still, Toph kept her face set hard. One of the perks of being blind was that if Katara was trying to have a glare-off, Toph wouldn't break first.

"Were you trying to cut your hair?" Katara's voice was softer than she expected. Less accusing. She'd thought that with how tightly the bossy girl ran Sokka and Aang's lives, Toph's hair would look like just one more thing to control. That's how her mom had always seen it.

There was no point in lying. Katara would find out in the morning, anyway.

"So what if I am? You're not going to stop me."

"That's what you—? Toph, you can cut your hair if you want—"

"I don't need your permission, Sugarqueen. I _do _want to. So that's it."

She would've chopped off the length of hair then, if she wasn't sure Katara would see how her hand shook. With anger, obviously. Not because she was unsure. But Katara still might get the wrong idea.

"_Sugarqueen?" _She spluttered and stomped closer. "I was just going to offer to help, but since you can _clearly _do everything yourself, I'm going back to bed."

She stormed past with heavy steps that could put some earthbenders to shame. It was almost too bad she wouldn't be the one learning earthbending—unlike Twinkletoes, she certainly had the stubborn temperament for it. Toph could at least grudgingly respect that.

But now Katara was gone, along with her offer to help. Which was fine. Better than fine. She could carry her own weight, and she could cut her own hair.

Beneath her fingers, the sharpened rock flattened and smoothed. Cracks fused back together until she once again had something that could pass for a blade.

Then she gathered her hair at the nape of her neck, and she hacked it off.

Her head felt light. The ragged ends tickled the back of her neck. It was itchier than she expected, but she would get used to it.

She dropped the thick clump of hair into the stream. Toph the fragile blind girl washed away with the current.

Toph the Earth Rumble champion, Earthbending Master, and Sifu to the Avatar pocketed her headband and walked back to camp.

XXX

"You said you were going back to bed."

Katara startled at Toph's voice. It was unnerving how the girl could sense her even before emerging from the trees. When she stepped out of the forest and into the moonlight, though, Katara gasped.

"What?" Toph demanded. Quietly, though; she must still be conscious of waking the boys. Not that she could wake them if she tried. Sokka's snoring was loud enough to blanket any other noise.

Katara was glad that Toph couldn't see her staring. It wasn't that the short haircut was _bad, _but—well, it was obvious that Toph had hacked it off without much care. The edges were uneven, and a few longer strands wisped around her face. Split ends would make the hair frizz if nothing was done about it.

But Toph had made it clear that she wanted to be left alone. Katara had only stayed awake to make sure she made it back to camp safely, not so she could pick another fight—even if everything in her wanted to sit Toph down and fuss over her hair herself.

"Nothing. I'm just glad you came back," she said.

"Like I could get lost if I wanted to. Sokka snores louder than The Boulder." She stood across from Katara, the ashes of the night's fire cold between them. "You're lying though."

"What?" Katara gaped. She was just trying to spare the other girl's feelings! Was that so wrong?

Toph ran a hand through her short hair. The glare on her face wavered when she touched one of the longer pieces she'd missed.

"You think it looks bad, don't you."

Katara bit her lip. "It could look better."

Toph crouched by the dead firepit and grabbed a fist-sized stone.

"What are you doing?"

"Fixing it." Her hands rolled the stone into a cone shape, then flattened it to more of a dagger.

"Wait." Katara knelt beside Toph before she could slice off any more of her hair. "I can help. If you want."

She'd thought maybe if she offered her help, Toph would feel more comfortable about helping out around camp in return—but apparently that wasn't the core issue. For some reason she just wanted to do everything herself, but she needed to know that she didn't _have _to.

Maybe she was just stubborn. Maybe she felt she had something to prove. Katara didn't know, but she _couldn't _know if Toph refused to let her in.

"I don't—" _shiff _"— need—" _shiff_

Thick black strands drifted to the ground with each of Toph's cuts. Still there were pieces she missed, pieces she sliced too short. Katara winced, but Toph just continued to hack more and more violently until—

"Toph, please—"

She hissed. At first Katara thought it was just a way of telling her to back off, but then she saw the moonlight reflecting off something wet. Something clinging to the rock, something dripping down the back of her neck.

"You're bleeding." Katara uncorked her waterskin and gloved her hand in her element.

Toph flinched away, covering the back of her neck with her hand. No blood leaked between her fingers; at least the cut couldn't be deep. Still, Katara approached cautiously. Even a shallow cut could become nasty if left untreated, especially considering what she'd seen of Toph's hygiene so far.

"I have healing abilities," she explained after realizing Toph wouldn't have seen her treat wounds before. "I can help."

"...Fine," Toph grunted reluctantly. When she moved her hand, Katara swept in with a soothing palm of water. The younger girl's tense posture relaxed under its glow.

"That's a pretty nice trick," she admitted, touching the unblemished skin as Katara bent the used water into the fire pit.

"Thanks." Katara smiled. That was probably the nicest thing Toph had said to her since joining them two days ago.

"You as good at cutting hair as you are with that fancy water?"

Normally Katara would have objected to her waterbending being called "fancy water," but right now she took the question for the acquiescence it was.

"Hold on. I'll get my comb and sewing scissors."

XXX

Katara's hands were gentle as she combed Toph's hair. If the smells had been different, if there were a lingering trace of jasmine instead of ash and dirt, she could almost pretend she was still at the Bei Fong Estate, that Katara's hands were her mom's.

She shut the thought down. Toph the Master Earthbender didn't get homesick. She didn't wonder if her mom missed her, either.

"What made you decide to cut your hair?" Katara asked conversationally. Normally Toph would've bristled at the girl's nosiness, but the questions distracted her from the thoughts she wanted to ignore.

"There's no point in keeping it long out here. It'll only get in the way."

It wasn't quite a lie. Katara wouldn't know if it were, anyway.

Cool metal brushed her neck, and she forced herself to sit still. No point in getting cut up again, even if Katara apparently had magic healing powers. Which was entirely unfair, Toph thought. Was there any kind of earthbending technique that could replicate that?

Soon the soft _snip-shiff _of Katara's scissors announced she had begun.

"I could have taught you how to braid it. That's how I keep mine out of my face."

Toph had never felt a braid before. She was tempted to turn around and touch Katara's, if only to have some kind of sensation to pair with the word. But she was still snipping away—had Toph _really _missed that many spots?—so she kept still.

"Unless I can do that with short hair, it's kinda late now," Toph said.

"I guess you might be able to pull off a short one." Katara hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe with your bangs braided and pinned back…"

Toph made a face. She _liked _her bangs falling a little in front of her eyes. She couldn't see anyway, and the thin curtain of hair helped her feel more protected, somehow. More like herself. Mom never let her wear her bangs down around her.

"I'll pass," she said flatly. Besides, she was looking forward to just wearing her hair down. It already felt nice so far—nothing tugging on her scalp or pressed tight against her head. Less dead weight holding her back.

Less of a reminder of everything she'd left behind.

Katara sighed. "Alright. It was just an offer."

"Sounds more like you just want an excuse to mess with my hair."

Mom had always loved doing her hair. And Toph… while she wished Mom would let her pick her own hairstyle, she did like the feeling of having her hair combed, washed, pulled up by gentle hands. Mom would talk about pointless things, like Toph's useless beginner-level earthbending lessons, or how the Gan Lings' trade caravan was doing, or what Dad was going to buy as soon as the month's profits came in. Toph couldn't participate too much in the conversation—everything important to her was a secret—but somehow her mom's voice was comforting anyway. She hadn't expected to miss that.

"Maybe you're right," Katara admitted softly as she lowered the scissors. Then, to Toph's surprise, her free hand came up to run through her chin-length hair.

Instinctively she relaxed at the touch—and then she stiffened. No one but Mom touched her hair like that. Katara wasn't her mom.

So why was Toph taking her frustration out like she was?

Toph's hand came up to grab Katara's wrist. "Don't."

Katara's heartbeat quickened. Toph felt it both through the ground and in the pulse beating against her palm.

"I'm—sorry." Katara's voice was more annoyed than apologetic though. She tugged her hand free as soon as Toph loosened her grip. "You could have just told me not to touch your hair, you know."

She did know. She'd overreacted for a second, over something as stupid as _hair, _it was just… she wasn't used to comforting touches from near-strangers. Having her hair cut was one thing, it was something she needed, but…

_It felt nice. _She _liked _Katara brushing her hair, and it only reminded her—reminded her that she might never feel that from her Mom again.

"Toph… are you okay?"

"I'm _fine,"_ she burst automatically. The ground beneath her trembled.

Why was she asking? Why did she _care? _

How could a girl she'd only known for three days ask what her own mom never bothered to?

Water leaked down her face. Sugarqueen wasn't going to miss that, no matter how fast Toph turned around and let her bangs fall into her eyes.

She was _still _overreacting. It was stupid. She was Toph, a girl as tough as the stone she commanded. She didn't cry.

"I really am sorry, I didn't mean—"

Katara's hand was so close to her shoulder. She could practically feel the warmth of it.

"Just—stop trying to be my mom!" Toph swatted her arm aside. Then she splayed her fingers, ready to raise them and call up an earth tent, but—

"I don't want to be your mom!" Katara yelled back. "I just want to get to know you, but I don't know _how _when you hate me for no reason!"

Toph's hands froze. Her fingers curled back into fists. _Katara _wanted to get to know her? Then she was right—she was nothing like her mom, who never had a clue about who Toph really was until three days ago.

And then Mom had decided she didn't want to know anything more.

"...I don't hate you," Toph muttered. Katara could be annoying and weird and _confusing, _but Toph didn't hate her.

Katara snorted. "Could've fooled me. All I've done is try to help and—"

"And that's just it," she interrupted. "That's _exactly _what my mom does. She tries to help and do everything for me, but she doesn't _listen!"_

Katara didn't recoil from the outburst. Instead she scooted closer. And then—slowly, slowly enough that Toph could've shoved her away again if she wanted to—she put her arms around her.

"I'm not your mom, Toph," she whispered. "And I _will _listen."

She—she was just a bossy girl, she shouldn't—Toph didn't need—she was an _Earthbending champion, _she didn't need to be hugged and—and—

Her face dropped into Katara's shoulder. She hoped that would keep the girl from seeing the wet trails leaking down her face, but she didn't count on it. Katara was a waterbender. For all Toph knew, pulling out tears was just one of her secret powers. That was the explanation that made the most sense, because there was _no way _she should be crying on this girl she barely knew—

"Do you miss her?" Katara asked.

She shouldn't. Mom didn't care about the real Toph. Out here with Twinkletoes and his friends, Toph was finally free to be herself. She didn't regret leaving; she didn't want to go home.

But the thought of never feeling Mom's gentle hands again, at least until this was all over...

"...I don't know." Toph hated how thick her voice sounded. She didn't sob, her tears were silent, but still they managed to leave their mark in her throat.

"Do I… do I really remind you of her?"

Toph paused. Nodded into Katara's shoulder.

"You combed my hair just like her," she eventually muttered. "And the way you came looking for me—I was always dodging Mom to sneak out to Earth Rumble." She choked out a laugh. "And you keep trying to help me and… I hate that I need it, sometimes."

The words felt like rocks between her teeth. But they were true. Toph couldn't have fixed the mess of her hair on her own.

Katara hadn't rubbed in that fact, though. Her mom would have made a big deal of it, especially if she'd seen Toph cut herself. She wouldn't be allowed around sharp objects for a month. Instead Katara had just fixed the problem and left it at that.

Until she decided to ask all these questions, anyway.

"It's not bad to need help," Katara said quietly. "That's part of being a family. We… we can't replace your mom. But we _do _want you here in our family. If you want that too."

Toph's breath hitched. Family? They were—they wanted her like _that? _They needed her to teach Aang earthbending. No one had said anything about _family. _Toph already had a family; she didn't need Katara to… to _adopt _her like some stray owlkitten. Not if it was just out of pity.

But Katara's heartbeat, pressed close to her own, was steady. She meant it.

She wanted Toph, the _real _Toph, in a way that her own family didn't.

"...I'll think about it," Toph mumbled against Katara's tunic.

"Alright." She pulled back, but kept her hands on Toph's arms. "In the meantime, if I do something that bothers you, can you tell me? I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I meant what I said. I want to listen."

"Y-yeah." Toph nodded. Was listening what families were supposed to do? She wouldn't know. This whole conversation was unexplored territory, like a tunnel so deep even her seismic sense couldn't reach the bottom. Right now, she wasn't quite ready to dig deeper. "Wellll, if you're done, I'd like to go back to sleep. If I even can with Snoozles snoring over there."

Katara startled at the change of subject, but then she laughed softly. "Right."

While she gathered her scissors and comb, Toph buried the small clumps of hair she'd cut. She had just finished when Katara spoke up again.

"Hey, Toph," she began a little awkwardly, and Toph was sure she'd have to dodge another big talk about feelings. She braced herself to brush Katara off with a joke.

"Yeah, Sugar Queen?"

"I don't know if it matters to you, but… your short hair looks really pretty."

The vibrations through the ground remained steady. After a moment of surprise, Toph smiled.

"Thanks. Your hair looks great too."

"Really? You—oh, _ha ha." _

Toph just laughed. Maybe Katara wasn't too much like her mom after all.

Maybe she could even make a decent friend.


End file.
